


Take a Flyer

by methylviolet10b



Series: Camera Obscura [9]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7373431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methylviolet10b/pseuds/methylviolet10b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sally sees an opportunity and takes a chance. Written for JWP #2: Roll the Dice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Flyer

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: This is a continuation of Camera Obscura, Unlucky Number, Another Angle, The Job, Prerogative, The Enemy of My Enemy (Is Still A Freak), Calling Card, and Well Begun. If you haven't read those, this might not make much sense. And absolutely no beta. This was written in a huge rush. You have been warned.

They were still examining the skull leaf when Sherlock’s mobile chirped. He pulled it from his coat pocket and glanced at the screen, stilling as he did. No one else seemed to notice, but Donovan wondered at the sudden, almost statue-like pose. She was just starting to wonder whether she should risk saying something when just about every _other_ mobile went off, along with the phone on Dimmock’s desk. The DI lunged for it, scowling fiercely. The irritation of his snapped answer was quickly overwhelmed by the squawking on the other end of the line. Sally couldn’t make out the words, but she could certainly see the way Dimmock’s eyes widened, the sudden set of his jaw.  
  
He lost no time filing them in as soon as he set down the receiver. “There’s been an explosion at UCH.”  
  
Sally sucked in a breath. She knew, just as everyone else did, that was the hospital where Lestrade and Watson were under care.  
  
Dimmock ignored her reaction along with the exclamations and gestures from others in the room.  He pointed, two swift gestures. “Maxsen, Williams, you’re with me. The rest of you, stay on this. Find out what you can about where he could have gotten this leaf. Indian Bean Trees can’t be all that common here in London.” He swept out of the room, his chosen sergeants right on his heels.  
  
The office devolved into busy chaos as Donovan gritted her teeth. Part of her wanted to protest. Damnit, Lestrade was _her_ Detective Inspector, and this was _her_ case! But she also recognized that Dimmock had a point. The bean-tree leaf _was_ a lead, possibly the first decent lead they’d had. They had to follow it. And there wasn’t much she could do at hospital. The place was already crawling with security. She’d seen as much when she’d visited herself. The addition of Dimmock and his sergeants – or one Sally Donovan, for that matter – couldn’t possibly make much of a difference in keeping Lestrade safe…  
  
Sally’s train of thought ground to a halt. _Couldn’t make much difference…there. But_ elsewhere?  
  
Hard on the heels of that thought came another one, this time a very recent memory. The Freak’s eyes, fixed on _her_ as he pointed out that the killer was escalating. That he had never specifically left clues for anyone before.  
  
Before now. Before _Sally_.  
  
Involuntarily, she looked up at where Holmes was…or had been. The space was empty. He must have slipped out of Dimmock’s office while she’d been thinking. _Probably gone after Watson_ , she thought. As unbelievable as it seemed, she had to admit Sherlock actually seemed to care about John Watson, as much as he could be said to care about anyone. So she couldn’t exactly _blame_ him for rushing off to make sure his (colleague? Flatmate? Friend? What the hell were they to each other, anyway?)… his Watson was all right, but it was the _wrong move_. Sally’s gut was telling her so, as strongly as anything. The killer wasn’t going to be able to make a move at the hospital, not with all the security already there. But he certainly could – and possibly had – cause even more police to converge there, leaving fewer of them available to look for him.  
  
To catch him, if he made another move on a potential victim.  
  
Unless, of course, that potential victim knew damn well he might be coming.  
  
“Hey, Smith. Have we checked in with the Royal Horticultural Society about that leaf, and the tree it comes from?”  
  
Detective Sergeant Smith shook his head. “No, but that’s not a bad idea, Donovan. I’ll ring them up.”  
  
“Nah. Get me a decent printout of those photographs, and I’ll do one better and take them directly over myself. Their main office is right here in London, and we’ll probably get a faster response in person.”  
  
“Never figured you for the gardening type, Donovan.”  
  
Sally laughed. “Hardly. We had a case about a year back that required a garden expert, so we wound up calling in someone from the RHS. They weren’t even all that awful to work with, once we convinced them to pay attention.”  
  
“Well, if you’ve already got an in, that’s double the reason for you to go,” Smith acknowledged cheerfully. “I’ll get you those prints.”  
  
Ten minutes later, Sally had an envelope filled with the best high-quality images Smith had been able to muster and was ready to go. No one on Dimmock’s remaining team raised an eyebrow, particularly as 80 Vincent Square was practically in the opposite direction of UCH. In fact, it wasn’t all that far from NSY. About a ten-minute walk, if she wasn’t in a hurry.  
  
She didn’t intend to be. She was going to walk, nice and slow and out in public.  
  
It was a risk, anyway. But it was one she was going to take.  
  
_Going over to RHS to check some recent evidence,_ she texted to Anderson. Just in case.  
  
Then, making a face, she sent the exact same text to Sherlock Holmes before walking out the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted July 2, 2016


End file.
